The Assignment

June 2014
Somehow, from somewhere, a notice about an email drawing class came to my attention. I was intrigued by the idea of taking a course via email. And I’ve always wanted to do more sketching, more drawing. I believe drawing goes hand in hand with writing. And it was a plus that the dates fell in one of my rare weeks with neither a business trip nor a holiday. So, I registered for the course.

Each day, for seven days, I received an email-lecture with links to helps. At the bottom of each email was an assignment. When I completed the assignment, I was to post my work on the social media of my choice.

On June 8, the assignment was to sketch an object from nature. I sketched a rose four times on scraps of cheap copy paper, and when I finished, I took a couple snapshots and posted the assignment.

Then, because I was also journaling about the course, taking time to be reflective about my learning, I trimmed my sketches, pasted them on a journal page, and wrote.

July 2014About a month later, I read my reflection, wrote The Assignment, and posted it to my Facebook page.

The Assignment

The night has grown late
And my assignment’s not done!
What will I sketch?

Drooping her head before me,
In yesterday’s faded glory,
Cradled in a coke bottle,
Stands a single rose.
Ah, yes, the assignment?
To sketch an object of nature.

I lift the rose from the bottle,
Lay her gently
Upon my desk.
I sketch her full face.
Then turning her over,
I sketch her again.

She wilts
As she quietly waits.
Her petals begin to curl.
I move her again
And sketch her once more—
The assignment to complete.

Slowly I pick her up.
Her petals softly fall,
And as I think
To discard her,
She begs of me,
Draw one more.

Before this day becomes yesterday,
Before it is no more,
My rose I’ll draw once again.

March 2016
Today, months later, I brought these pieces–slices of life and learning–together as a single work.
I thumbed through my journals to find my sketches and notes.
I searched my Facebook page to find my poem.
I added some text and did a bit of revision.
I pushed my limits with technology and published them here on my Blog.

Always learning!

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Ah, thanks, Glenda. I’ve never thought I could sketch, especially a rose. But I just applied the observation techniques that were shared in the course and was amazed at myself. I really need to go back to my journal and read some of it again.

Alice, I love this idea, and enjoyed seeing your sketches and writing on in the same book. The pages are really pretty to look at. I also really enjoyed your poem, the way you did your line breaks. I love the lines and
Lovely. Thanks for sharing your notebooks.

Thank you, Maribeth. I’ve done a bit of it off and on. I really do enjoy it, especially when I go back months later and read a post with the sketches. I never thought I could draw but have been reading a bit about sketching techniques. I think it’s a lot like writing.